Restraining chute for animals



' A1199, 1949. A. C. THOMPSON ET AL l2,478,988

STRAINING QHUTE 'Fon ANIMALS v original Filed April 8, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTO R N EYS Aug. 9, 1949. A. c. THOMPSON ET AL 2,478,888

STRAINING CHUTE FOR ANIMALS original Filed April 8, 1941 v 2Sheets-Sheet 2 mvENToRs Patented Aug. 9, 1 949 Andrew C.

Thompson and Carl Gill, Madera, Calif.

substituted for abandoned application Serial No.

387,538, April 8, 1941.

28, 1943, SerialNo. 488,906

This application May 3 Claims. (Cl. 119-98) This invention relates toanimal restraining devices, and more particularly to devices of thischaracter especially adapted for holding calves while being branded,dehorned, castrated or the like.

The invention has 'for one of its objects to improve and simplify thegeneral construction of animal restraining devices of the characterstated and to provide one which will enable calves to be handled in a.comparatively easy and highlyefcient manner, which will be practicallyindestructible, and which may be manufactured and sold at acomparatively low cost. l

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the nature of which willappear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fullydescribed andV claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Figure 1 is a View in front elevation of an anif mal restraining deviceconstructed in accordance with our invention. l n

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the device. l'

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken onthe vertical plan indicated by theline 3-3of Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the vertical plan indicated by theline 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows,the several parts of the stock being shown by dotted lines in thepositions they occupy while the animal is being operated on, and

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on the vhorizontal plan indicated bythe line 5-'5 of Figure 2 looking in the direction indicated by thearrows.

Figure 6 is a detail showing a portion of the floor of the chute withparts broken away and parts omitted. f Y

The animal restraning device comprises a base I0 which consists of rearand Viront cross bars II and I2, respectively, and a centrallongitudinal bar I3. The bars II, I2 and I3 are made of angle-iron. Thebar I3 is located between and has its ends secured to the bars vII andI2. A

platform I4 on which the operator stands, is lo?` cated between andrests upon the cross bars AII and I2 at one side of the longitudinal barI3. Front and rear supports I5 which are located at the opposite side ofthe longitudinal bar I3, comlil prise outer legs I6, inner legs I1 andtop bars I8. The legs I5 and I'I of the supports I8 have their lowerends secured to the cross bars II and I2, and the innerlegs I I of thesupports occupy a downwardly and inwardly inclined position. Theplatform I4 is connected to the cross bars II and I2 by hooks I4a whichare secured to the ends of the platform and which embrace the verticallangesof these cross bars. Y

A stock I9 in which the animal is held While being operated on comprisesside walls 20 and 2l and a front wall 22. The second side wall 20 andthe front wall 22 are carried by the first side wall 2 I; and this Wallis hinged, as at 23, to the supports I5 to permit the stock I9 to beswung from one of its positions to the other. Y The side wall 2l carriesat its lower edge a floor piece 24, and the side wall 20 ishinged, as at26, to the iioor piece. The front wall 22 is xed rigidly to the sidewall 2|, and it is provided with an opening 21 of triangular contourthrough which the neck of the calf in the stock extends.

When the stock I9 is in vertical position its side wall 2I restsragainst the inclined inner legs I'I of the supports I5 and its floorpiece 24 rests uponthe base bars Il, I2 and I3. When the stock isin-this position, the side Walls 20 and 2l occupy a downwardlyconverging relation. The side Wall 20 is yieldingly held in thisposition by a spring 33 which is connected by a chain 33a to this sidewall and which is connected to an arm 33h carried by the iloor 24fromthe lower edge of the side wall 2I. The movement of the side wall 2oand the spring 33 is limited by a ange 22a carried by and extendingrearwardly from the adjacent' edge of the front wall 22.

The stock i9 is closed by a rear Wall 36 forming a gate which is freeoi' engagement with the walls 20, 2| and 22 and which is slidablymounted in a frame comprising uprights 34 and 35 and a top bar 39. Theuprights 34 and 35 are secured at their lower ends to the rear cross barII of the base ID and are provided at their inner sides with 'groovesinwhich the side edges of the rear wall 35 `are slidably mounted. The rearWall 36 is moved into its closed or opened position with relation to thestock I9 by means comprising a cable 4I which is secured at one end tothis wall, which passes about a pulley I4 carried by the top 3 bar 39and which is provided at its other end with a hand loop 42.

With the stock I9 in vertical position, and with the rear wall 38 inraised position, the calf to be operated on is driven into the stockthrough the open rear end thereof. When its head projects through theopening 21 in the front wall 22, a lever 28 is moved into contact withthe neck of the animal, whereby to prevent it from Withdrawing its headfrom the opening. The lever 28 is pivoted, as at 28a, to the inner sideof the front wall 22. The lever 28 is releasaf-bly held in contact withthe animals neck .by means comprising a notched disk 3!! rotatablymounted, as at 3|, on the inner side of the front Wall 22,18. link 29pivoted to the disk and lever, and la detent 32. The detent 32 is heldin engagement with the notched disk 38 by a spring 32a. When the lever28 is to be released, a ngerpiece 32h which is pivoted to the tail ofthe detent 32 is pressed downwardly, with the result that the detent isdisengaged from the notched disk 30.

After the lever 28 is moved into and latehed in contact with the neck ofthe calf, the side wall 29 is moved in the direction of the side wall 2|to clamp the animal within the stock I9. The side wall 2U is moved inthe direction of the side wall 2| through the medium of means comprising,a lever pivoted, as at 48a, to abar 43 fixed to the side wall 2|, acable 48 connected at one end, as at 48a, to the upper edge of the sidewall 28 and connected at its other end, as at 48h, t0 the lever 45, anotched sector 45 fixed to the bar 43, and a spring pressed detent 41carried by the lever and engaging the notched sector. pulley 49 for thecable 48 is mounted on the bar 43.

The side wall 29 ofthe stock I9 is shorter than the side wall 2| so asto permit of ready access to the animal secured within the stock. A wall58 extends from the Vside wall 20 to the upright 35 to close the rearportion of this side of the stock when the stock is in vertical oranimal receiving position. The wall 58 is free of engagement with thewall 29, and it is mounted by hinges 59 upon the adjacent upright 35 soas to permit it rto be swung outwardly and rearwardly away from theVstock after the animal is secured within the stock, and thus permit ofready access to the animal. When the wall 58 is in closed position, thefront end of the wall is supported by a bracket Si) which is xed to thewall and which rests upon the platform |4. The wall 58 is secured inthis yposition by a latch 6| which is vmounted on the bracket and whichengages the platform i4. The latch 5| is moved into or outcf engagementwith theplatform 4 by a lever 82 which is pivoted to the wall 58 andwhich is connected to the latch by a rod 53.

The feet of the .animal within the stock are tied together through themedium of the loop end 51 a cable 53. This cable passes freely through`an opening 54 in the rear wall 38 and is wound on a drum 5| which inturn is mounted upon a shaft `52 carried by a housing 58. The housingv5|) is secured, as at 50a to the cuter side of the rear wall 3B. Acable 55 for rotating the drum 5| is wound on a reduced extension of thedrum and passes freely through an -opening 56 in the rear -wall 35. Thiscable passes over `the upper 'edge of the wal 58 near the rear end ofthe stock 9 where it may be conveniently pulled to eiTect a rotation ofthe drum 5| in the act of `tying the feet of the animal.

In practice, the device` is made ready to .receive `A guide 4 theKanimal to be operated on by arranging the stock |9 in verticalposition, latching the wall 58 in closed position, and raising the rearwall 36. After the animal has been driven into the stock I9, the rearwall 36 is lowered into closed position, and the lever 28 is swungdownwardly into lcontact with the neck of the animal. The wall 58 isthen swung into opened position. With this wall in this position thenoose 51 may be readily engaged with the feet of the animal. The noose51 is tightened about the feet by imparting movement to the drum 5|through 4the medium of the cable 55,. The side wall 20 of the stock |9is then moved in the direction of the side wall 2| through the medium ofthe lever 46. The animal is now rmly held within the stock I9 and may beconveniently branded or dehorned. Other operations may be performed byswinging the stock I9 .into the horizontal position in which it is shownin Figure 4, the stock being supported in this position by the supportsI5. The stock may be conveniently swunginto this position through .themedium 'of the upper end of the bar 43 which extends above the side wall2|, this end of the bar being reinforced by a brace 44 secured to thefront wall 22 and to the bar.

This applicati-on is `a substitute for application Serial No. 387,538(now abandoned), led April 8, 1941, for Restraining chute for animals.

We claim:

1. In an animal restraining device, ra base, an animal receiving stockmounted on the base comprsing a `first `side wall .extending lengthwisevof the stock, a front wall Yiixed to said side wall, a second side Wallsection extending rearwardly from the iront wall and rconnected withAthe first side wall for movement therewith, said second side wallsection being mounted vfor pivoted movement upwardly and inwardly withrelation tothe unstanding lposition of the first side wall, and a doorcarried by the said rst side wall and on which the said `second sidewall section is pivoted; and means on the base for supporting said .rstside wall for vertical tilting movement from its normal upstandingposition to a horizontal position, an upstanding frame mounted on thebase at the rear of the stock having a rear wall mounted for verticalsliding movement therein, a rear wall section which extends in the samedirection as the front section of the said second side wall of thestock, and means pivotaliy connecting the rear end of said rear wallsection with the frame whereby said rear wall `section is adapted toswing horizontally from its normal stock forming position to an`outwardly directed open position.

2. The `device described in claim 1 including means yieldingly holdingthe secondside wall section away from .the first side wall, the .irontwall and the `forward section of the second side wall normally being inupstanding position, and means for releasaby holding the rear section ofthe second side wall in stookiorming position.

3. In a stock handling device, a base structure, spaced, generallyvertical, supports l mounted thereon, a table mounted between andcarried by said supports for .tilting vmovement about a horizontal axisfrom .an initial position, an animal supporting platform secured to thelower edge `of said table and extending laterally'therefrom, a .clampingmember spaced from said table and pivotally mounted adjacent the loweredge of said table and swingable toward and away from said table, atable supporting member adapted to support said table when the latter isin a final position, and means for usuccessively swinging said crepes 5clamping member toward the table to secure an M Numkm animal and tiltingthe table to said final position. 350,545 ANDREW C. THOMPSON. 410,507CARL GILL. 5 413,080

5, 1 REFERENCES CITED gasg The following references are of record in the730,049 le of this patent: 970,344 1,120,115 UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 1389 993 Number Name Date 1,799,073 134,707 Scott et al. Jan. 7, 18732,197,600 167,440 Deatherage Sept. 7, 1875 Name Y .Y Date Tiffany Oct.12, 1886 Fain Sept. 3, 1889 Morris et al. Oct. 15, 1889 Schecher Aug.27, 1895 Marshall Aug. 1, 1899 Sage June 2, 190.3 Mills Sept. 13, 1910Adair Dec. 8, 1914 Schulz Sept. 6, 1921 Thompson Mar. 31, 1931 WimerApr. 16, 1940

